The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-09-07
GETTING READY TO TINKER THE TARIFF.

The Secretary of the Treasury has been
summoned to Washington to consult with the
President on the tariff question. Speaker
Carlisle has been in consultation with the
President on the same subject and other prom
inent tariff reformers" have been slipping
in and out of Washington. The object OF all
this advising and consulting is to agree on a
position and line of action to be set forth in
the Presidents annual mesrage and adopted
by the Democrats in Congress The para
mount idea is to harmonic the Democratic
party, and to do this few Democratic officials
propose to agree on a line of tariff tinkering
which the President is to incorporate in his
message and thus make it, as far possible,
an executive and party policy. 1t is pity
the business interests of the country, well
as those of the Democratic party, could not
be represented at these consultations, but
they will find expression elsewhere. There is
something alarming in the idea of
these interests, in all their vast
proportions, extensive ramifcations and
delicate adjustments being thus submitted to
the haphazard decision of few Democratic
partisans, none of whom have as yet given
any evidence of ability to deal with such
questions. Mr. Cleveland is the merest tyro
in craftsmanship. Secresary Fairchild, a New
York lawyer who parts his hair in the middle,
was thought to be in pretty deep water when
he appointed Assistant Secretary. Now
he is summoned to Washington to help form
ulate tariff tinkering policy for the party in
power. Mr. Carlisle, formerly aschool-teacher,
then lawyer is now theorist and doctri-
naire. Not only are they miserably equipped
and poorly qualified to deal with the great
questions of poical economy involved, but
they approach the subject in spirit of parti-
sanism that augurs i'll for the public welfare.
The object of these conferences is not to de-
wise such policy may advance the bust
ness interests of the country and promote the
general prosperity, but to agree on something
that will strengthen the administration and
harmonic the Democratic party. The bust
ness interests of the country have nothing TO
hope for but much to fear from such confer
ences. They aim at a wholesale assault
our present revenue and economic sys-
tenn, the idea apparently being that
because it is the result of Republican
legislation it must necessarily be wrong. Up
to the present time Democratic craftsmanship
has risen no higher than violent opposition to
everything Republican, and because the Re-
publicans have pursued the policy of protec-
ton to American industries, the Democracy
feel bound to oppose it. They seem to i'm
agine they will be doing God service to tear
down whatever Republicans have built up.
For the protective system has furnished the
country and the world the grandest spectacle
of national development and prosperity
recorded in the history of any country or any
age. The proof of the protective policy is in
its results, and the Republican party well
afford to stand on its record. The Democracy
propose, as far as possible, to reverse this
record and undo it's results. This is the
main object of the conferences now going on
at Washington.